Effort to end Louisiana split-jury law gets bipartisan push
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BATON ROUGE (AP) - A bipartisan coalition is working to win voter support for a proposal ending a Jim Crow-era law that allows split juries to convict people of serious felony crimes.
Voters will decide the fate of the constitutional change on the Nov. 6 ballot.
Currently, serious felony trials in Louisiana, including some murder cases, can be resolved when 10 out of 12 jurors agree on a person's guilt. Louisiana's one of only two states that allow non-unanimous verdicts in felony cases.
Former Grant Parish District Attorney Ed Tarpley said Monday that organizations across the political spectrum, from conservative and religious groups to liberal activists, plan a coordinated effort to pass the unanimous jury provision.
Tarpley says the groups will finance a digital media campaign and other efforts to back Constitutional Amendment 2.